Plantation Society

Zhane Forrest
Shayla Lester
 The Sociologist

George Beckford analyses the plantation George Beckford

and how it was organised in terms of it's
economic structure and it’s impact on social
stratification.

He looked at how it was divided into master

and slaves,owners and non-owners and
black and white. He wanted to understand
Caribbean society and it's
underdevelopment which was later
developed by Lloyd Boyd and Norman
Girvans to explain the caribbean Born in 1934-1990
What is the Sociological
The Concepts of Sociology
Theories and Persepectives?
The sociological perspective is
how the various ways in which
social theorist understand society.
In each perspective there all put
their views forward to explain
society.
Some theories are the
Functionalism Marxism and
Plantation society.
● Society is the social world
and how they interact with
each other and in turn how
it influences us
● The social looks on us living
in groups influences and how
It is considered a force
● changing our lives
Social life refers to the
interaction of the
institution and the
relationship between them.
 PLANTATION SOCIETY As seen by
George
Beckford
● The Caribbean society stems from the cultural divergence
created by the introduction of the transatlantic slave trade and
the plantatation society.
● George Beckford noted that the plantation was a community
whose social composition and patterns of interpersonal
relationship was an effect of its authoritative structure.

● Beckford noticed that in this society there was a noticeable

pattern of social stratification that was based on a caste system
that had separated the white owners from the black workers.
PLANTATION SOCIETY As seen by George
Beckford
● The social structure of the slave plantation had
got its shape from social organisation made for
production which resulted in the white planters at
the top and slaves at the bottom and later the east
Indians.
● From this emerged a race group of (half
castes)that were a mixture of black and white.As a
result cultural plurality is a feature of plantation
society,as it brought together many races and
The
cultural background to carry out the nature of the Halfcastes
business.
● Plantation economy is centered on the race and
class relationship that is troubled by ethnic
antogonism this is seen in plural societies.
 Plantation Society
As seen by Beckord and Norman
Girvans

● Norman Girvans states that plural societies

such as Jamaica is in a state of social
fragmentation.
● As there is a ruling class that has connection
with people in high places and are able to use
this to their advantage to maintain their Inner-citites
Inner-citites of wealth and power. of Jamaica
Jamaica ● As a result old plantation system remains as
the black population still live in inner-city
communities to this day and they experience
social and economic segregations.
 How does the Plantation Society
explains the functioning of today’s
Caribbean society?

● Social Stratification or caste system

● Superiority and inferiority

● The role of women
● Capitalism - centralize government
● Culture
● Globalization and the influence of colonialism
● Economic system
 Comparison of Social Classes
White plantation Owners Upper class or rich
Domestic Slave
Mulatoes or poor whites Middle Class
Skilled Slave
Blacks or Slaves Working class
Field Slave
Poor
The End